Ashes 2019: Baggy Green Cap Motivated Me To "Keep Working Hard" For Comeback, Says Cameron Bancroft

Australian opener Cameron Bancroft is all set to make his international comeback after serving a nine-month ban for his involvement in a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last year. He has been included in Australia's 17-member squad for the upcoming Ashes series in England, along side David Warner and Steve Smith, who served one-year bans for the involvement in the same incident. Happy with his inclusion, Bancroft said that his baggy green cap served as a great source of "motivation to keep working hard".

"I guess it was good motivation to keep working hard ... to keep my goals and keep focused," Bancroft was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

"To look at it and go 'yeah I'm playing cricket but there's something bigger I eventually want to be able to get back to'," Bancroft explained.

Earlier, Bancroft had revealed that he considered walking away from cricket to become a yoga teacher. 

Explaining how the infamous incident helped him evolve as a person, he said, "I think being serious about cricket is important, but I think it's also about being able to realise the game is just a game of cricket."

"One of the big lessons that I learned last year was about being true to yourself," he added.

Bancroft did not shy away from admitting what he did was not right and blames no one for it as he thinks "your actions is completely up to you".

"I made a mistake, and I'll learn from it and move forward and get better," he added.

After completing his ban in December last year, Bancroft returned to the field and joined his domestic side Western Australia. Earlier this year, in a bid to strengthen his Ashes chances he joined English County side Durham as a captain and impressed everyone.

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Cameron Bancroft Australia Cricket Team England Cricket Team The Ashes 2019 Cricket